Circulating well packer



Patented Apr. 9, 1940 UNITED STATES 2,196,661 CIRCULATING WELL mcmm John H. Grubb,

Baker Oil Tools, Inc., Huntington Park,

Shreveport, La., assignor to Calif.,

a corporation of California Application January 14, 1939, Serial No. 250,952

Claims.

This invention relates generally to well devices of the character commonly known as cement retainers by reason of their predominate use in the cementing of oil wells but which are also utilized 5 as well packers for various other purposes.

Various specific forms of cement retainers or packers have heretofore been employed to pack off at selected elevations between a run-in string of tubing and a well casing to confine the flow of l0 cement, fluid or gas pumped down the run-in string and through the retainer or packer. It has been a general practice to incorporate in such devices a back-pressure valve normally restrained in an open position by a trip means and to employ 16 a trip ball sent down the run-in string to block the flow passage of the device for the purpose of building up a pressure therein suflicient to set the device and effect a release of the back-pressure ball which thereafter prevents a return fiow of m cement, fluid or gas into the set device.

To extend the range of uses of a device of this general character, it is very desirable that upward flow through the device be permitted after it is set in position in the well casing and before the back-pressure valve is rendered effective to arrest such upward flow, and to subsequently release said valve at will, thus it becomes the principal object of the present invention to provide a device of the general character referred to in which provisions are made for setting the device in a desired position in a well casing, without releasing the open back-pressure valve, so as to permit circulation through the set device in either direction, and in which a separate means is pro- 35 vided for subsequently releasing said valve.

In general, the device is tubular in character and is adapted to be run-in a well casing at the lower end of a string of tubing by which'it may be manipulated by an operator at the derrick floor, and it includes in its structure operable slips for anchoring the device firmly in the surrounding casing at a desired location, an expansible packing means or sealing element for seal-'- ing oil the annular space between the exterior of the device and the wall of the casing, the slips and the packing means being operated by fluid pressure and by manipulation of the run-in string, and a back-pressure valve normally held in open position and releasable at will by an iridependent means sent down the run-in string by the operator. 1 One form of embodiment of the invention is exemplified in the following description and illustrated by way of example in the accompanying ll drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a longitudinal section through a portion. of a well casing'and through the device of the present invention with the parts in the positions they assume when the device is being runin the casing.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to the lower portion of Fig. 1, but showing the device anchored in the casing, and illustrating the discharge of the tripping means from the set device.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the device as constructed to include a tail pipe.

The device shown in the drawing is, insofar as the body and its run-in string, the packing and slip mechanisms, and the restraining and releasemeans for the back-pressure valve are concerned, of the type disclosed in United States Letters Patent -No. 2,121,051, issued June 21, 1938,

to Clarence E. Burt and Thomas M. Ragan, to

which Letters Patent reference 'may be had for a more complete description of these portions of the present device.

The device A, in the condition shown in Fig. 1, will be lowered into the well casing B by a run-in string C having a screw-threaded lower end which engages in the upper screw-threaded end of the axial flow passage of the tubular body member 10, said screw-threads being preferably left-hand threads of square form. The body member 10 has an upper abutment collar H, and an enlarged lower end providing a lower annular abutment shoulder l2 and having secured thereto a body member I3 providing a valve chamber M.

A sleeve packing l5, formed of rubber or other suitable pliable material, surrounds the medial portion of the body member I0 and is connected at its lower end to a lower cone it which slidably fits said body, while its upper end is connected to an upper cone l'l likewise slidably fitting said body. Normally these cones l6 and I! are connected' to the body H] by shear pins l8 and [9, respectively, the pins I8 of the lower cone having a greater shearvalue than the pins IQ of the upper cone so that a lesser pressure is required to release the upper cone than that required to release the lower cone. One or more lateral ports 20 direct fluid under pressure from the bore of the body III to in back of the packing sleeve IE to err- 'pand the same.

Up-pressure. slips 2| are normally connected to the body ID by shear pins 22 and downpressure slips 23 are normally connected tothe body by shear pins 24 and to the lower cone It by shear pins 25.

It will be noted that the interior bore of the upper cone l1 has formed therein an annular sufllcient to move the body,

' of the packing sleeve, so

seat when released, but normally held toone side of said chamber in open position, as shown in the drawing, by an upwardly extending arm 32 of a tubular valve restraining means comprising a sleeve 33 which is slidably mounted in the lower end of the bore of the body member Illa but normally'held stationary by a shear pin 34, and which is formed to provide an internal annular valve seat 35. By thus holding the back-pressure valve open, the device may be run-in the casing and moved up or down therein without causing a swabbing action. a

'On the lower end of the body member Illa is attached, preferably by screw-threads, a body member lflb having an axial bore of an internal diameter larger than the external diameter of the valve restraining sleeve 33, and slidably fitting in said axial bore is a sleeve member 36 which is normally held stationary therein by a shear pin 31 and which is formed to provide an annular seat 38 which is somewhat smaller in diameter than is the similar seat 35 of the sleeve 33.

In' practice, the packing device is conditionedas shown in Fig. 1 and is lowered into the'well casing to a position of use. A trip ball 39 is then inserted in the run-in string 0 to travel down- .wardly through said string and the flow passage of the device, past the restrained back-pressure valve 3| and through the bore of the restraining sleeve 33, to engage the seat 38 of the trip sleeve 38 and thus close the lower end or the flow passage, it being preferable to establish the circulation' immediately after inserting the trip ball in the run-in string so that said ball will more quickly reach its seat.

As soon as the trip ball 39 seats to close the flow passage, fluid pressure will be built up in the run-in string and in said flow passage and becomes effective, through the lateral ports 20,

to expand and elongate the packing sleeve l5 and,

shear the pins l9. of the upper cone 11, moving said cone upwardly with. sumcient force to shear the pins 22 of the upper slips 2 I. With the shearing of the slip pins .22 said upper slips will engage the abutment collar I l and, by reason of the co-engaging angled surfaces or the cone and slips, will be moved outward radially into gripping-engagement with the casing wall.

The pump pressure is. then relieved and the run-in string is subjected to an upward strain lower slips and-the lowersleeve relative to the now V as -to' compress said packing sleeve [5 into sealing condition against the casing wall until it will compress no further, whereupon continued relative movement will shear the pins l8 or the lower cone l6, causing the abutment shoulder I2 to engage the lower slips 23, and then shear the pins 24 and 25 and move said lower slips upwardly and outwardly l into gripping engagement with the casing wall.

the lower cone, the end of the packing. stationary upper end 2,196,681 groove 26 which receives a ratchet latch 21 in the The device being thus properly set in the well casing, the fluid pressure will be built up to a degree suflicient to shear the pin 31 and eject the' sleeve 36 and trip ball 39 from the device (as illustrated in Fig. 2).' This conditions the set device so as to permit flow through its flow passage in either direction and to permit its employment in various situations where such open flow passage in a set packer is desirable or necessary.

When it is desired to release the normally restrained back-pressure ball 3|, a valve-release Y ball 40 (indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2) is inserted in the run-in string C and pumped down to engage theseat of the restraining sleeve 33 to close the flow passage at this point, with the result that a build-up of pressure above this closure will shear the pin 34 and eject from the set device said restraining sleeve 33 and the ball 40, thus removing the ball restraining arm 32 and releasing the back-pressure valve 3| for cooperation with its seat 3|].

The device is thus provided with a primary trip means for efiecting a setting of the packer and a secondary trip means for effecting a release of the normally restrained back-pressure valve.

In instances where it may be desired to convert the set device into a bridge plug, this may be done at any time by inserting into the run-in string a bridging ball II which will travel downwardly toengage an internal annular seat 42 formed in the flow passage 01 the device above the lateral ports'20 (as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2), and thus eflectively bridge said flow passage.

For some uses it may be desirable to provide the packer with a tailpipe for the purpose of insuring a fluid 'discharge'at an appreciable. distance below the set packer and for such purpose the body member Illb together with its contained trip sleeve 36 and shear pin31 will be attached tov the lower end or a tail pipe 43, instead or directly to the body member Ilia as previously described, and the upper end of said tail pipe will be connected to the lower end of the bodymember Illa by a pipe coupling 44, as shown in Fig. 3. In its use as a cement retainer, the device will be run-in the well casing to the desired point, drilling fluid present in the well passing into the normally open flow passage and the run-in string. If the operator is of the opinion that the well is in-condition for cementing, he may proceedto set the retainer by first inserting the trip ball 39 in the cementing string and establish thecirculation, the resulting increase of pressure within the closedflow passage expanding the packing and setting the upper slips, and then stopping the circulating pumps and manipulating the run-in well casing, the circulation will be reestablished t to build up a pressure s'uflicient to shear the pin 31 and eject the trip "sleeve 33 and-trip ball 39 from the set device, leaving it in the condition shown in Fig. 2.

In this set condition of the, device, its flow, pasi sage is again open'to permit flower-fluid therethrough in either direction, this oflerin'g the valuable opportunity or swabbing through the runin, string for the purpose of removing the mud sheath of! the face of the formation to be cemented.

After such swabbing operation, or after the setting of the retainer, if such swabbing is considered undesirable or unnecessary, the valverelease ball 40 will be inserted into the mm-in string and pumped down to engage its seat 35 in the valve-release sleeve 33 and again cause a, pressure build-up in the fluid passage such as will shear the pin 34 and eject said sleeve and ball from the retainer through the larger bore of the lower end of the body member Illa, and thus release the back-pressure ball 3| from the restraint of the upright arm 32 of the sleeve 33.

Cement slurry may then be pumped down the run-in or cementing string and through the flow passage past the released back-pressure valve to discharge in the well casing below the set retainer, the back-pressure valve functioning to prevent a reverse flow of the cement.

In instances where it is desired to conduct a second cementing operation above the set re-,

ta'iner, in the accomplishment of what is sometimes referred to as stage or series cementing, the retainer may be converted into a bridge plug by inserting into the cementing string the bridging ball 4| which will engage the seat 42 in the flow passage of the set retainer which then establishes a complete seal in the casing. A cementing operation above this bridge plug will be conducted by first disconnecting the cementing string from the set device and elevating it from engagement therewith, after which a batch of cement slurry will be pumped down the disconnected cementing string or down=the casing itself to discharge through perforations or ports formed in the casing wall above the bridge plug.

Since the device may be set in a well casing at any desired elevation, in the condition shown in Fig. 2 and with the back-pressure ball restrained in inactive position, it may be effectively em-- ployed as a production packer, in which use production from an oil sand below the set packer will flow upthe run-in string. As a production packer, this arrangement swabbing through the run-in string and the set packer whenever such swabbing is necessary or desirable.

In employing the device in repressuring an oil sand, an exhausted well which taps said sand is selected and the packer set therein just above the perforated section of the well casing. Pumping of gas into the casing below the set packer will force the gas into the oil sand to create therein a gas pressure sufficient to drive additional oil into adjacent wells from which it may be pumped to the surface.

As the device may, with the use of the bridging ball 4|, be used purely as a bridge packing to seal off the interior of the well casing at any point above bottom, it may be employed to effect a complete shut off of high' pressure gas below a producing oil sand.

While I have disclosed a preferred form of my invention, it is to be understood that various changes maybe made therein by thoseskilled in theart without departing frorn'the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim at d desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A well packing device comprising a packer body having a longitudinal flow passage, normally ineffective anchoring means for said body, packing means for said body capable of being expanded by fluid pressure built upin said passage to actuate said anchoring means, a primary trip valve means for closing said flow passage to enable a pressure rise therein to actuate said packing means and render said anchoring means effective to anchor said device in a well casing, said trip valve means capable of being thereafter actuated to reopen said fluid passage and permit fluid flow therethrough in either direction, a; back-pressure valve, retaining means for maintaining said back'pressure valve in ineffective position, and a secondary trip valve means for again closing said fluid passage to enable a pressure rise therein to actuate said retaining means and release said back pressure valve and permit it to function to prevent upward flow of fluid through said flow passage, said secondary trip valve means capable of being subsequently actuated to permit downward discharge of fluid from said fluid passage.

2. -A well packing device comprising a packer body having a longitudinal flow passage, normally ineffective anchoring means for said body, packing means for said body capable of being expanded by fluid pressure built up in said passage to actuate said anchoring means, a primary trip valve means for closing said flow passage to enable a pressure rise therein to actuate said packing means and render said anchoring means effective to anchor said device in a-well casing, said trip valve means capable of being thereafter hydraulically ejected, from the fluid passage to reopen said fluid passage and permit fluid flow therethrough 'in either direction, a back-pressure valve, retaining means for maintaining said back pressure valve in ineffective position, and a secondary trip valve means for again closing said fluid passage to enable a pressure rise therein to actuate said retaining means and release said back pressure valve and permit it to function to prevent upward flow of fluid through said flow passage, said secondary trip valve means capable of being subsequently hydraulically ejected from the fluid passage to permit downward discharge of fluid from said fluid passage.

3. An apparatus of the character described comprising a member having a longitudinal fluid passage and adapted to be secured to the lower end of a string of tubing and lowered into a well casing, slips mounted on said member, means capable of being released connecting said slips to said member and maintaining them in an ineffective postion, a packing mounted on said member and capable of being hydraulically actuated to release said means and thereby release said slips so that they may move to an effective position, a

primary trip valve means for closing said flow either direction, a back-pressure valve, retaining means for maintaining said back-pressure valve in ineffective position, and a secondary trip valve means for again closing said fluid passage to enable a pressure rise therein to actuate said retaining means and release said back-pressure valve and permit it to function to prevent upward flow of fluid through said fluid passage, said secondary trip valve means capable of being subsequently actuatedtopermit downward discharge of fluid from said fluid passage.

4. A well packing device comprising a packer body adapted to be connected to a tubing string and lowered into a well, said body having a longitudinal flow passage formed to provide a backpressure valve seat, packing means capable of and including a secondary valve seat member slidably fitting in said passage between said primary seat member and said back-pressure valve, a second securing means capable of being disabled normally maintaining said secondary seat member and retaining means fixed in said passage, a primary trip valveadapted to be sent down said tubing string and capable of traveling past the retained back pressure valve and through said secondary seat member to engage said primary seat member and closesaid flow passage to enable a pressure rise therein to expand said packing means, a subsequent greater pressure rise being efiective to disable said first securing means and eject said primary trip valve and primary seat memberfrom said passage to permit unrestricted fluid flow therethrough in either direction, and a secondary trip valve adapted to be subsequently sent down the tubing string to engage said secondary seat member and again close said flow passage to enable a pressure rise therein sufllcient to disable said second securing means and elect from said passage the secondary trip valve and the secondary seat member and its back-pressure retaining means to release said back-pressure valve and permit it to function to prevent upward flow oi. fluid through said flow passage.

5. A well packing device comprising a packer body having a flow passage, normally ineffective means carried bysaid body for engagement with a well casing, fluid operated means for moving said means into engagement with said casing, means for restricting fluid flow through said passage to cause a rise in the pressure'oi the fluid therein. and its actuation of said fluid operated means, menu for supporting said restricting means with respect to said body in a'manner permitting its subsequent actuation to produce opening 01 said passage and allow free flow of fluid therethrough in either direction, a one-way valve for preventing fluid flow through said passage in one direction, meansin said passage for retaining said valve in ineflective position, including instrumentalities adapted to restrict 1 fluid flow through said passage to cause a rise of pressure therein, and means supporting said retainer means in a. manner permitting its actuation torelease said one-way valve. I e

. JOHN H. GRUBB. 

